Government says it told India it has ‘zero tolerance’ for foreign interference and transnational repression

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) walks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on March 2, 2026. Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN /AFP via Getty Images

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OTTAWA — A senior Public Safety official says the federal government has told its Indian counterparts that there is “zero tolerance” for transnational repression and foreign interference by its diplomats.

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In a recent letter to advocacy group Sikhs for Justice (SJF), a top Public Safety official assured the group that the government has “made it clear to senior Indian officials that there is zero tolerance for transnational repression or other illegal activities by foreign diplomats in this country.”

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The letter was signed by Public Safety Canada assistant deputy minister Richard Bilodeau. It came in a response to a June missive by SFJ warning of continued efforts by Indian government officials to threaten Sikh Canadians and activist for a Khalistan referendum.

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Bilodeau’s letter does not specify when, nor how many times, the Canadian government has issued that message to the Indian government. Bilodeau did not respond to a request for comment.

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In the letter, Bilodeau wrote that Canada has “constructive engagement” with India and will continue to push for the respect of rule of law, judicial independence and “the principle of non-interference.”

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“The Government continues to strengthen its response to these threats by implementing targeted mitigation measures, as well as appropriate policy and legislative tools,” he added.

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But Bilodeau’s assurances fell flat for SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun, who is a key figure in the movement to establish a separate Khalistan within the Indian state of Punjab. In a statement to National Post, Pannun said he remains very worried about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to renew diplomatic and trade relations with India.

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“Sikhs for Justice does not believe Canada has a true ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy when it comes to India’s Modi regime,” he wrote.

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“Even today, Canadian police continue to issue ‘duty to warn’ letters to Sikh activists,” he added in reference to warnings from police to individuals whose lives they believe are in imminent danger. “If Canada had zero tolerance, then Indian operatives would be neutralized, and activists would not need to look over their shoulders in their own country.”

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Pannun was a close friend of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian-Sikh pro-Khalistan activist who was assassinated in front of his B.C. gurdwara in 2023. U.S. and Canadian police have since alleged that the assassination was linked to at least one Indian government official.

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Pannun himself was the target of at least one assassination plot linked to the same network of alleged gangsters and Indian intelligence official, according to unsealed U.S. court records.

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Bilodeau’s letter to SJF also comes on the heels of a letter from five United Nations special rapporteurs expressing concern that there is a “broader pattern of transnational repression by Indian authorities against Sikh activists in different countries, including Canada.”